Ground Spiders are traveling predators that run quickly after prey and away from danger.

Ground Spiders are technically a group of spiders that are ambush attackers and one of the example species is Zelotes duplex. In general, all Ground Spiders forego weaving webs to trap prey. They run it down instead. They are great stalkers and fast runners, capable of startling humans that observe too closely. Females lay eggs in a silky sac.

Basic Information

Common Name: Ground Spider

Scientific Name:Zelotes duplex

Category: Spider

General Identification

Size (Adult; Length): 8mm to 15mm (0.31in to 0.59in)

Identifying Colors: black

Additional Descriptors: fast, biting, venomous

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Arthropoda

Class:Arachnida

Order:Araneae

Family:Gnaphosidae

Genus:Zelotes

Species:duplex

Spider Anatomy (Typical)

1

Legs: Spiders have four pairs of legs and these are attached to the cephalothorax.

2

Pedipalps: Small appendages near the mouth used as taste and smell organs.

3

Cephalothorax: Contains eyes, head, mouthparts, and legs.

4

Abdomen: Contains various organs related to digestion, reproduction, and web-making.

5

Spinnerets: Used in the production of spider silk for fashioning webs or catching prey.

NOTE: Unlike insects, spiders have both an endoskeleton (internal) and exoskeleton (external).

Territorial Reach (A-to-Z)

Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed below as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections below indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.

The map below showcases (in red) the states and territories of North America where the Ground Spider may be found (but is not limited to). This sort of data can be useful in seeing concentrations of a particular species over the continent as well as revealing possible migratory patterns over a species' given lifespan. Some species are naturally confined by environment, weather, mating habits, food resources and the like while others see widespread expansion across most, or all, of North America.